To Get Away With Murder
by Red Eyed Newborn
Summary: Last night's murder has rocked Wall Street. Multi-billionaire Fitzwilliam Darcy is a suspect in murder of his wife, Elizabeth Darcy nee Bennet. The two were married two years ago and are equal owners in the multi-million dollar company. The details of the investigation has not been open to the press. I'm Trina Clark from Manhattan News. Bringing you the latest. Burlesque mentioned
1. Chapter 1

Last night's murder has rocked Wall Street. Multi-billionaire Fitzwilliam Darcy is a suspect in the murdering of his wife, Elizabeth Darcy nee Bennet. The two were married two years ago and are equal owners in the multi-million dollar company. The Darcy's are old money from England and came to the US to open a branch five years ago. The details of the investigation have not been open to the press. I'm Trina Clark from Manhattan News. Bringing you the latest.

Chapter One

**Darcy Corp. Offices in Manhatten, New York**

"They're indifferent to each other. Some of the secretaries even think they hated each other." The woman whispered and looked at her boss behind her. "No one knows why for sure but the most likely it's because their marriage was a business merger. Mrs. Darcy's father owned nothing but the real money comes from her uncle. He's huge money in a lot of different parts of foreign markets and is childless so made her sole heir to everything when she was old enough." The girl looked side to side then leaned toward the detective. "_I _think it's because Mr. Darcy is having an affair. Three months ago, I was coming back to get some files for the meeting the next day and I heard him in his office. "

**Manhattan Police Department**

"Makes sense. He's young, rich, and attractive; most of these guys have a girl on the side. Clear motive, wife finds out, she doesn't like it and confronts him. Darcy knows if she divorce's him, he loses half his money. Motive for murder plain and simple. Did Mr. Darcy's assistant say anything about the girl Mr. Darcy was seeing." The captain asked.

"Only that he asked her for addresses to some jewelry stores and flower shops. WE also looked over at his credit cards and there are a few payments he made to one specific hotel called The Palace. Penthouse of course, he stayed there every two weeks or so. For two nights, Friday to Saturday night."

"Anything else?"

"We talked to some of Mr. Darcy's business partners and they talked about a possible place where the other girl works. Mr. Darcy would always tell them to meet him at this one joint when they were wanted to see girls. He would always leave early and go straight to this one room. Guys say he has a key."

"What is this place?"

"Garden of Eden, close to J street." The detective read from his notepad.

"Stripper?"

"Maybe, the Garden of Eden isn't advertised like that. Their website says, "Paradise made real."

"Sounds like a stripper joint to me." The captain crosses his arms. "Alright, interview more of Darcy's employees and made sure to talk to some of Mrs. Darcy's while you are at it. We need to know how much they didn't like each other and if it's enough for murder."

Ten Minutes 

"Thank you Mr. Darcy for agreeing to meet with us." The detectives showed Darcy into the room with his lawyer.

Darcy took his seat first. "Please make this swift, I had a meeting in an hour."

"I see, I'll try to make this swift." The detective pulled out a file. "Who are you seeing Mr. Darcy?"

"Excuse me?"

"Mr. Darcy, we heard from multiple of your employees that you were seeing someone other than your wife. We have your credit card records also that show us a pattern of you staying at The Palace for two nights. You can't tell me you go there by yourself. After all, you have a large enough mansion for that. With better security too."

"I'm not cheating on my wife, I love her." Darcy said clear and a bit of a growl in his voice. The detectives took it as his alpha male personality taking over.

"Excuse me if I don't believe you. Your phone records show multiple calls to one number, sometimes three times a day but none are your wife's number."

"Unless you are charging me with something, I'm going to leave." Darcy said directly and left the officer with his lawyer.

"Follow him, we need to see where he's going." The captain said behind the glass. The two detectives nodded and called a car over.

Three Hours Later

"Find anything?" The captain asked after the two detectives came back.

"He went to his office and left. It seems he's leaving the states to go to Pemberley."

"Where?"

"His family's estate in England."

"Is he nobility too?" The captain joked.

"No but close. " The detective said seriously and went over to a screen that showed a ton of paparazzi shots of the Darcy's. His family is old, old money. Darcy's mother was Lady Anna Fitzwilliam and had a title. His dad didn't but had enough money to make up for it. He also has a littler sister named Georgiana Darcy that's more than ten years his junior."

"What about Mrs. Darcy?"

"The girl we talked to before was right. Elizabeth Darcy nee Bennet comes from a poor English family. She has four other sisters and their family farm just makes enough to break even. Her uncle, Edward Gardiner has a lot of money from foreign trade. He also is invested in a lot of companies, including Darcy's company. He did make Elizabeth the sole heir to his fortune when she graduated from college."

"Found anything about that girl?"

"No, only to confirm there is a room that the owner of The Paradise says Mr. Darcy does have a key to. The owner doesn't even have a copy, says that the room has several locks that Mr. Darcy put on his own."

"How many?'

"Five, not even including the sensor he had installed to only open to his voice."

"Jesus, you have to be kidding me? What's so special about this girl anyway? Is she really that good?"

"That or he might be possessive."

"Either way, we need a warrant for that room. I'm calling Steve for him to find probable cause." The captain put on his coat and left the office.

One Hour Later

"Captain?"

"What is it Bradley, I have to deal with the news station in five minutes."

"Sir, Miss Catherine De bourgh answered our call to interview her and is downstairs now."

"Why didn't you say that in the beginning? Bring her into my office! I'll be there in a second." The captain walked to his office to let in Miss De bourgh in. "Thank you so much Miss De bourgh for coming in to answer our questions. We are doing our best to fully understand the relationship between your nephew, Mr. Darcy, and his wife."

"Terrible woman. I never liked her. She obviously married Fitzwilliam for his fame and wealth."

"We understand Mr. Darcy was having an affair. Do you possibly know who this woman could be?"

"I can't say I'm surprised. A woman like Elizabeth Bennet cannot satisfy a man, let alone someone like my nephew."

The captain looked at his detectives. "We believe that your nephew and his wife were not getting along during their marriage. Can you tell me anything about it?"

"They hated each other or at least Fitzwilliam hated her."

"Why."  
"I guess Fitzwilliam saw her as a draw back in his life. He was set on the idea to marry my dear Anne but his business partners told him that a match with Ms. Elizabeth Bennet was the best thing he could do for the company. Her uncle is a trade giant or something like that." The detectives didn't miss Miss De Bourgh's harshness or spite in her words.

The captain looked at his file for a moment. "Anne is your daughter, correct?"

That instantly made Miss De Bourgh more righteous if possible. "Yes, named after Fitzwilliam's mother. She died before her time. At least my dear Anne will be able to live a long life. She just got married to a wonderful man last fall. It was a lovely wedding. You must have seen it on the news. It was such a sensation, all the news wanted a picture of her in her gown! It was Givenchy you know."

"More like she bribed all the newspapers to make it front page news." One of the detectives said to the others under his breath.

"Do you think Mrs. Darcy would try to hurt Mr. Darcy?"

"She has been always a wild woman. I'm sure she did all of this so she could pull the Darcy and Fitzwilliam name in the mud."

"Why is that? She is now a Darcy, wouldn't she want to keep the Darcy name reputable?" The captain argued.

Catherine just chuckled. "Sir, the name meant nothing to her. Honor means nothing to that sort of woman. If it did, she wouldn't have married my nephew."

"Why exactly would that be?"

"Captain, I'm sure you agree that there all types of circles. The matter of the fact is, Elizabeth Bennet did not belong in the same social sphere as Fitzwilliam." Catherine said like it was a matter of fact. "She was told that her marriage into the family would not be accepted by the higher circlers,"

"Did you tell her this?"

"Of course, it would be cruel of me to not warn the girl."

"I see, well thank you again Mrs. De Bourgh for your time."

"Anything to help Fitzwilliam." Catherine said while grabbing her expensive bag with care and stepping out of the room.

"This might not completely be about the money. We need to look deeper into Darcy's social life. Get me connected to that sister and anyone else close to the Darcy's."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for the all the readers who are reading my story! Big thank you goes to the three reviewers who I can tell will help me shape this story in a great way!**

** Mylittlespitfire, I am so sorry for the bad formatting in chapter one. In my original draft, there were lines to separate the scenes so the reader is able to tell we are moving forward. I was confused when I looked at the chapter and wondered how you gave the story a good review anyway. I will do my best to answer all the mystery elements you referred to in chapter one. I was hoping to do that because I hoped it will make the reader more engaged with the story. Don't worry, this story is far from done and I wanted a nice cut to pull you into the "real" story. I didn't describe my characters because I didn't want to take it away from the main characters in the story. I looked up how to spell de Bourgh and every time, it had a space between it. **

** anedrew and Samson and Delilah, thank you so much for trusting my judgement and being so kind about it! =D I know this seems terrible. Thank you for entrusting your dear Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet to me. They are precious to me too.**

Chapter Two

**Two weeks later**

**JFK Airport, Flight 42B**

"Were they having trouble in their marriage?"

"Do you think Fitzwilliam Darcy is capable of murder and are you holding him in custody?"

"Will you be looking deeper into business partners of Darcy Corp.?

On screen, viewer could see news anchors and cameras stationed outside the Manhattan Police Department building where they were invited for the official press conference on the murder of Elizabeth Bennet. The captain and all his agents were bombarded with questions after questions. Finally, the captain stood forward and spoke to the huge mass of reporters and journalists.

"The investigation is reaching a crucial point and we are talking to as many people possible to give the public a clear picture of what happened."

"Is there a possibility that Mrs. Darcy committed suicide?"

"From the coronary's report, no. The body was examined and the pictures show a lot of defense wounds." The Captain said clearly into the mic.

"Miss Catherine de Bourgh told the press last night that she believes that Mrs. Darcy had a mental illness and had a history of violence." One reporter said loudly.

"We are exploring all avenues." The captain said curtly.

"Is the Police Department any closer to closing this case? It's been two weeks already!" A reporter yelled. Many journalists started yelling and the Captain felt attacked.

"There is no more the Police Department can comment on now. Have a nice day." Georgiana Darcy turned off the television and answered her cell.

"Yes, Richard I just saw the press release. Aunt Catherine is making a mess of things. Sadly, we expected her to abuse Elizabeth image. I hope this doesn't hurt William! Yes, I know. I'm on the flight back to school right now. Are you sure, me going away will help William? All right, I'll trust your judgment Richard. Just take care of William for me please. Thank you. Hope to see you soon, love you too." Georgiana ended her call as she boarded the plain.

"Would you like something to drink Ms.?" A flight attendant asked with a cheery red lip smile.

"No thank you but I would like another blanket please." Georgiana asked a little quiet but not so shy like she would have before two years ago.

"Of course, I'll be right back."

"Thank you." After the flight attendant left, Georgiana looked out her window and sighed. "Please let William be alright."

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**The Waldorf Towers (Luxury Hotel), New York **

The Captain needed results after that atrocious press conference so he searched to find The Bingley's. According to the tabloids and other social media, the Bingley's were the Darcy's best friends. Mrs. Bingley was also Mrs. Darcy's sister. The Bingley's moved to The Waldorf Towers when the paparazzi and tabloids crowded the front of their apartment.

Detective Jerome called ahead to meet the manager of the hotel, he need this interview to go flawlessly if he wanted to give the Captain good news.

"Detective Jerome, I'm here to interview the Bingley's." Jerome flashed his badge to Manager West.

"Yes, we were expecting. I have already located The Bingley's. Mr. Bingley is in the Blue room and Mrs. Bingley is in her room. Please follow me."The two men went to the elevator and walked past a few halls. "My employer would like me to ask you that if there is any arrests, would you be able to do it at the station and not here? We wouldn't want the hotel to be seen in such a light." Manager West explained.

"I see, I'll do my best but if they try to run, I can not promise anything." Manager West nodded and looked pleased.

"I doubt you will have any trouble from The Bingley's. Both Mr. and Mrs. Bingley are warm and generous people. I've never seen Mrs. Bingley loose her temper or even frown. Of course since her sister's death was announced, she hasn't left her room. She is a soft spoken women." Manager West said before letting Detective Jerome into the room before closing the doors for privacy.

Detective Jerome walked straight to a red haired man with a nice dress shirt and pants. The labels of the clothes couldn't be seen but from dealing with many blue bloods and other socialites, he could tell that the clothes were expensive. "Mr. Bingley?" The man address turned to the detective and asked him for a few mintues. Bingley paid for the meal he ordered for his wife and picked up the tray.

"Please follow me Detective. I'll show you to my wife and my room." The two men went toward the elevator. "I just ask you to be gentle with your questions. My wife has been in a terrible state since Elizabeth's death. She tries to preoccupies herself but always ends up sobbing. Her appetite isn't doing well either."

Jerome looked at the man before him. Mr. Bingley's hair was a bit messy and there was a few wrinkles that the Jerome didn't see before. There were hints of sleep deprivation and Mr. Bingley wasn't sporting the child like smile the tabloids always showed. Jerome could see that this man was tired and was dealing with not only with his wife's sorrow but his own. "I'll do my best."

Charles Bingley nodded at the detective and led them to his room. The detective looked inside the high-class room to see everything spotless. A beautiful woman in her late twenties sat unmoving in the dinning table. She was facing the window so her perfect blond tresses reflected the natural light, giving her an angelic glow. Her skin looked too pale and her eyes were swollen. Her deep blue eyes were red and Detective Jerome knew exactly why her the tabloids called her an Angel. Bingley went past him and went straight for his wife. He gave her chaste kiss on her cheek and touched her other cheek affectionately.

"Love, Detective Jerome is here to ask a few questions. It won't be long and I'll be in the next room if you need my help." Jane Bingley nodded and told her husband she would be all right. Bingley left soon after.

"Mrs. Bingley, I know this is difficult for you but I need you to answer these questions. Please tell me every single detail no matter the insignificance you think it may be. Anything helps." Jane nodded and prepared herself. "Can you describe your sister for me?"

"Elizabeth has always been a force of nature. She was determined and hard working. She has always been athletic; she walked and ran any chance she could. Darcy moved them to a private gated home so she could run in a near by park."

"Can you tell me more about Elizabeth's interactions with others?" Jane smiled. "Everyone loved Elizabeth. She was witty and intelligent. She has always had natural grace."

"Can you describe her relationship with Darcy?"

Jane blew into her tissue. "They're relationship has always been complicated."

"How?" Jerome asked, finally thinking the investigation was going somewhere.

"Elizabeth and William never really dated. They met during Darcy and Charles' stay in Meryton. Elizabeth and I grew up there. Elizabeth was introduced to Darcy briefly but left soon after for a trip for one of her classes."

"Was it love at first sight?" Jerome asked.

"Hardly." Jane chuckled a little. "Darcy called Elizabeth tolerable. He said she wasn't pretty enough to ask to dance. Elizabeth heard him and left."

"So they never got along?"

"Darcy and Elizabeth both grew from each other. I think a huge reason why Darcy liked her was because she challenged him to be more than he was."

"So your sister loved Darcy?"

"Completely, she always said she would marry only for love." Jane smiled weakly and started to cry silently.

"Thank you again Mrs. Bingley. My condolences and hope that you could put this tragedy behind you." Jerome tipped his head in respect and left to talk to Bingley next door.

"Mr. Bingley, your wife did remarkably and before I leave. I just need a few questions answered from you."

"Of course." Bingley crossed his arms and walked to the only two chairs in the room.

"Do you think Mr. Darcy is capable of hurting Mrs. Darcy?" Jerome asked bluntly.

"No! Darcy cherished her. I never saw the man so besotted in my life." Bingley instantly straightened and stood up.

"Darcy's credit cards showed he was going to see a girl in a place called The Garden of Eden and his phone has made many calls to a number not owned by his wife." This seemed to physically hurt Bingley. Bingley took a moment and stabled himself on the back of the chair.

"Wherever he went and whoever he called, I can guarantee he didn't do it to hurt Elizabeth."

"We never mean to hurt other but that doesn't mean it doesn't." Jerome said plainly.

Bingley shook his head. "No, no. There must be something else. Darcy loved Elizabeth. I mean loved her. He would move he moon if she wanted it." Seeing he made Bingley furious, Jerome left the Bingley's after thanking Bingley for his time.

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**Manhattan Police Department**

"So the family had no idea about the girl Darcy had in the side. Not even Darcy's right hand man." The captain looked at Jerome's notes.

"No, Charles Bingley totally went crazy when I told him about Darcy's calls and credit cards."

The captain nodded to himself. "So Elizabeth fell in love with Darcy but Darcy ends up using her for her uncle's connections. Darcy fools the family and friends that he loves Elizabeth and they get married. Elizabeth finds out after the marriage was done that Darcy never loved her but stays anyway. The last straw must be when Darcy had the affair. Jesus, this is complicated." The captain rubbed his eyes and took an aspirin.

"What can I tell you boss, there was no love."

"Captain!" One of the detectives came in.

"What! For God sakes speak lower!" The Captain yelled in annoyance.

"Sir! Darcy is gone!"

"WHAT!" The Captain's face turned to an unnatural color.

"We had him when he arrived at England but Scotland yard lost him right after."

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**In a Small Island of Rhodes, Greece**

The air was cool and the stars shined brightly in the unpolluted air. The island was quiet except for steps walking up to a cabin high up in the hills. The steps continued until they reached their destination. Fitzwilliam Darcy had finally made it to Rhodes, to her. Her hair was still the same, dark ebony and softly curled. Her skin, once a light tan was now darker from the island's sun. He remembered the ways she fit perfectly with him when they were together but knew he wouldn't be happy until her eyes were on his. The same eyes that he was bewitched by four years ago. She finally turned around. "Elizabeth."

"Will." Her voice was out in a whisper. Everything after those two words were a blur as lips met. Each breath was replaced with a sigh as Darcy's hands moved down her back. Her back arching each time he went further and the curves of her body fitting his. The skirt of her dress was lifted and Will didn't stop his frantic kissing. Two weeks of not having her near. He hadn't been apart from her since they met. In the days he left Meryton, he had at least Bingley to watch over Elizabeth. He meant it two years ago, he wished never to be apart from her that day he proposed and God help who dared to try.

**Author's Note:**

** Saralee, Nice catch on chapter one! I hope you like how it is going. Please message me if there is more ways chapter one was confusing.**

**I am sorry for those who do not like smut. I thought it would be fun for the scene go from the detectives talking about the Darcy's not loving each other to us seeing the complete opposite. Let me know if the plot is confusing still and other details! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **

**Kmart92, Your review for chapter two made me smile! I am so happy that you are not disappointed with the story yet (Yes, I have to say the word "yet." Never know what will happen next ;P )**

**krwbid, I can't say how much your right but good thinking ahead.**

**cutelilmochi, The investigation will be described with detail but I didn't want to bore everyone (or kill them with suspense.) Your comment did give me more ideas on how to go about the investigation. **

**anedrew, I am so happy that chapter two captured your interest! Of course I hope all my chapters are interesting and not duds. **

**Saralee, your comment made me so happy! =D**

** .60, Your large comment on chapter two made me smile and really told me on what to focus on! Big thank you and hope you enjoy chapter three! **

_***WARNING: This chapter has a lot of smut so but a lot of important information so if any of the readers do not feel comfortable reading this, please message me or write it in the comments so I can try to write a clean version. **_

Chapter Three

**Rhodes, Greece**

"Do they know about us?" Elizabeth's voice turned to barely a whisper as Darcy's lips went down her neck and across her shoulder.

"They have my phone records and found our place in the city." His lips continued down as his hands pushed the covers down to reveal more of her bare waist.

"The Garden of Eden?" Elizabeth softly said in Darcy's ear before she tightly grasped the hairs in the nape of his neck and heard him moan in response.

"And the hotel room in The Palace." Darcy bit Elizabeth's lower lip in attempt to prevent Elizabeth from talking.

"They really are going to think you are having an affair, aren't they?" Elizabeth said as her tongue dominated Darcy's. Before he was able to retaliate, she pressed herself closer to Darcy's chest so her breast would lightly graze him. A growl was what Elizabeth heard before she found herself completely on Darcy's lap. Darcy's hands were on every curve and his lips following greedily.

"If they knew how much a temptress you are, they would know exactly why I needed those rooms." Darcy smiled wickedly. "I'm sure the detectives would sympathize for me."

"Why would they? You are a billionaire and are quit fortunate in life." Elizabeth countered.

"Every man, rich or poor is defenseless when it comes to women. Especially, when it comes to a woman like you. Oh, yes. I'm completely convinced the police would be on my side if they saw how charming you can be." Darcy emphasized the word charming and made it more sinful with his husky voice. "How you tease me every single second of the day." Darcy kissed her shoulder. "At home." He kissed higher. "At the charity balls." He whispered as he kissed her right under the chin. "The office." Darcy lips softly brushed Elizabeth's with each word.

_Flashback_

_Darcy felt himself growing more unsettled. He was right in a meeting, pretending to pay attention to the presentation for next year's sales but all he could do was when in actuality he was paying attention to a figure on the end of the meeting table. She was facing toward the presentation of course and had no idea what she was doing to him. Her hair was up in a bun and her clothes appropriately cut. She would move slightly to be in a more comfortable position but that was enough for Darcy to pay more attention to her. How some stray hairs would come out of her bun and land on her decollote. God, this woman was maddening _

"_Even with last month's sales not comparing well with March's, the department has predicted an optimistic percentage for next year. Is there anything else the department should look for next year?" The room fell quiet as they all waited for Darcy to answer._

"_Mr. Darcy?" The presenter's second address to Darcy finally brought Darcy's focus back to the meeting. _

"_Oh, yes. That was well done Mr. Felton. Please bring me the research your department has done this year tomorrow on my desk." _

"_Of course." Mr. Felton said as he collected his papers and turned on the lights._

_As employees walked out of the office, Darcy stayed behind, hoping to catch up to Elizabeth. As he was about to approach her, a man with a purple tie and buzz cut blonde hair addressed her. _

"_Mrs. Darcy, would you mind meeting in your office so I can arrange the next month's schedule?" Darcy looked at the man and didn't like how he said "Mrs. Darcy" like it didn't matter. _

"_Of course Mr. Brookes. Please follow me, we can do it right now if you are able." Elizabeth said perfectly professional. She didn't realize Mr. Brookes' flirtatious smile or how the murderous glare Mr. Darcy had. The day continued in this fashion, Darcy searching for way to talk to Elizabeth but not being able to. Darcy felt furious. Elizabeth wanted to be professional while working and that was fine with him but she forbade him from showing even a little affection towards her during work hours. Elizabeth insisted leaving in different cars since both had to go different places in the city in a moment's notice. It came to a point where rumors of their marriage being a failure were starting to appear. Secretaries whispering to each other about Elizabeth and him hating each other and did whatever possible to avoid each other. Darcy needed to see Elizabeth now._

"_Ms. James, please page Mrs. Darcy. Tell her I need to see her right before she leaves." Darcy said to his secretary before going to his office. Elizabeth and him both worked late and none of the employees would be there to witness their discussion._

_Four hours later _

"_William? You wanted to see me?" Elizabeth came opened the door. Arms wrapped around her waist and her back hit the back of the door with a little force. Her shock soon passed and other emotions came as Darcy's hands were already working fast. "William? We're still at the office." Each word took effort to say as Darcy's lips were distracting her thoughts._

_ "New rules."_

_ "What?" Elizabeth's head was already fuzzy and her lips were too busy to say more than one word.  
"When we're alone, call me Will," Darcy's fingers gently tugged open Elizabeth's blouse so more of her skin would be accessible to him. "like you do at home. No, William or Fitzwilliam." Darcy emphasized each next word with a kiss on the skin right below Elizabeth's ear. " Just. Will. Your. Will." Each kiss made Elizabeth that more breathless and her legs wrapped themselves around Darcy's waist as both bodies became more bare and heated. None of them heard the gasp on the outside of Darcy's office._

_End of Flashback_

"Do you think Georgiana is okay? She must feel so alone now." Elizabeth said concerned for her sweet sister-in-law. Darcy stopped and held Elizabeth's face gently in his hands.

"I know you are worried about her, I am too but remember Georgiana would rather have you safe than not and this is the _only_ way. They would have done more if we didn't do this." Darcy's eyes held Elizabeth's in a moment. "Don't worry about Georgiana, Jane, and everyone else. They will understand when we explain to them. Charles will take care of your sister, he understands what is going on and Georgiana has Richard." Elizabeth nodded solemnly.

"Now Mrs. Darcy, I haven't seen you in two weeks. Most wives would be glad to see their husbands after such a long time. Or do you not love me?" Darcy teased his wife as he pushed her further down the bed. Elizabeth rolled her eyes playfully and let her fears for her family rest.

**Author's Note:**

**I hope I'm giving everyone enough clues but I really want to make the whole reveal amazing. I'll do my best to not hold on you guys and please comment or message me if you feel like the chapter doesn't have enough information. Tell me if the flashbacks are confusing.**

** For all those who feel like this chapter lacked content, please don't send me angry comments. I just had to do this scene. For all those who wanted to know how the Darcy's were able to trick the police (and other gory details), all that will all be on the next chapter. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**

**Thank you for all the reviews.**

**FUTURE UPDATES- I graduated recently but I still have a lot of things to do before I am completely free. I wanted to update you all because I realize that some of you might want to know when I will be posting. I hope to post a chapter once or twice a week. **

** .60, So happy that you liked the last chapter and the whole multiple pads will be answered in the next chapter.**

**Saralee, I try to even out all the chapters so they can be the same length. Please keep in mind that the longer the chapter, the slower I can post it up. I found this length wasn't too short for me and I am able to post way faster.**

**Whosepride, Thank you so much for your kind words! I really like to capture an audience with the summary. For me, I don't read stories unless I like the summary so I am really happy that my idea worked. =D I never noticed how different my writing style was so thanks for the heads up!**

**Calt02, Sorry for all the grammar mistakes! I tend to post each chapter right after I finish writing them. I write at night too so that doesn't help. I also have to admit that grammar is one of my weak points. I'll do my best like always but please to understand I will make some of mistakes. **

Chapter Four

**Rhodes, Greece**

"Yes William, Georgiana arrived at the campus yesterday. She's safe for now." Richard's sounded stressed. "It is hard for her right now Darcy. Ever since your "disappearance," she thinks she didn't do enough for you." Darcy sighed and felt terrible for what he was doing to his sister. When he comforted Elizabeth the other day, he also comforted himself. Both Elizabeth and him had sisters that were completely angelic. Georgiana already had to deal with so much pain from the death of both of their parents. The only comfort he had was that Richard was watching over her.

_Flashback -Eight Months Ago_

"_Darcy." Charles' voice over the phone sounded stoic and odd to Darcy's ears. Darcy had never heard his cheery friend talk with such a monotone expression and knew something must have happened._

"_Ten minutes at The Port." Darcy immediately ended the call and called his cousin who was now in leave from the army. Darcy told Elizabeth that he was meeting with Bingley and Richard before taking his car to the edge of the city._

_The three men arrived quickly and each said nothing right before they __entered a small boat that would take them to North Brother Island._

_End of Flashback_

**Hollywood, California**

"Tonight is a special night for Hollywood! The one and only Oscars! Big names and even bigger expectations are here tonight. Join us after this commercial break to ask the celebrities your questions and find out the big scoop in Hollywood. I'm Rebecca Heightworth from Glamour TV and see you soon." Rebecca winked at the camera and immediately asked for her make up crew to refresh her lipstick.

"Rebecca, you are on in 3…" The cameraman started the countdown.

"Welcome back and you all are just in time to see Caroline Bingley make her grand entrance with her man, Josh Hart. As you all know, the couple starred in the summer romance, _The Lovers. _Rumors say that the chemistry was instant and the set was more than steamy. Caroline, a model turned actress is on two magazine covers this month! She poses for Vanity Fair and is on the cover of Entertainment with Josh. Looks like the all star couple has finally arrived!" The camera pans until it lands on Josh Hart opening the door for Caroline. Caroline's tanned and oiled leg is the first to be seen. The daring lace dress makes camera's flash as onlookers go between thinking how typically beautiful Caroline Bingley was and how much surgery she had done to look that way. Caroline's strawberry blonde hair flowed behind her as the camera followed her movements as she walked up the red carpet to the platform Rebecca was. Caroline gave her hair a soft flick as she said hello to Rebecca in a sugary sweet voice. Her real acting was not on stage or on screen but in real life. "Great to see you again Caroline!"

"Great to see you too Rebecca! I love that dress, the fit is perfect, if only it was in a better color. Don't worry though, the camera will help make you look less pale." Caroline said this all while smiling and sounding cheery. Rebecca was so stunned that she just kept smiling.

"W-well thank you for that tip, I'll keep that in mind for next t-time. So…tell us about your dress? It's stunning!" Rebecca did her best to sound up beat.

"Thank you so much Rebecca! Dior actually called me and I just couldn't refuse. My sister said it looked too gorgeous on me so how could I say no?" Caroline's words were said with a certain Caroline Bingley flair. Her tone was always between obvious vanity and sincere insecurities.

"So, are you excited for tonight?" Rebecca's voice instantly sounded happier as she asked the man who held Caroline by the waist and smiled kindly at the camera.

"Of course," Josh said genuinely "tonight we're celebrating the film industry's greatest achievements."

"Congratulations of the nomination tonight!" Rebecca said with a huge smile. "Your family must be so excited for you! I know a lot of fans out there are rooting for you! Is this all overwhelming for you, especially being so young and new to the industry?" Josh smiled softly and looked down a little. His eyes, a cool grey and blue, were focused on the ground. Caroline did a slight eye roll as she faced away from the camera.

"The audience's support and constant feedback is why I'm here so I'm completely grateful for their interest in the films I have been a part in. This whole process has definitely been a huge surprise for my family and I. My mom and brothers in Washington were the ones to tell me about my nomination." Josh's voice was affectionate as he talked about his family and Caroline made sure to show how she was such a supportive girlfriend by wrapping her arms around Josh's neck in an embrace.

"Aren't they just too adorable for words?" Rebecca squealed. "This is one of the main reasons you should buy Entertainment's magazine this month! My camera man is telling me we are out of time now but stay tuned to see more of your favorite celebrities!" The camera faded from the three figures and panned to the entrance so it could document other celebrities' entrance. "Thank you again for letting me film you two! I-" Rebecca was about to congratulate the couple again when Caroline left.

"Caroline!" Josh called out to but Caroline didn't stop and started to pose for some of her paparazzi friends. Josh turned back to Rebecca and was about to apologize.

"Don't worry about it." Rebecca said while putting her hand up to stop Josh from apologizing. "I'm use to it, especially coming from her." Josh looked sadly at the reporter.

"I still want to apologize for her behavior." Josh shook Rebecca's hand "I hope you have a nice evening and you look lovely."

"Caroline!" Josh finally caught up to his date and grabbed her hand.

"Josh! There you are! I know this is your first time but try to keep up." Caroline said while posing for the cameras.

"Caroline, you know we need to talk." Josh said without any sign of covering up his displeasure.

"Stop talking Josh, you're ruining the pictures." Caroline whispered into Josh's ear like she was whispering loving words. Instead, her words were like heavy lead that made Josh madder.

"You know Caroline, these pictures will be seen and passed around but in the end, if they are not genuinely loved, they will be thrown away and forgotten." Josh left Caroline's side and she watched him walk away from her.

**Manhattan Police Department**

"Boss, did you see that interview with Caroline Bingley?" The Captain's secretary asked as she passed him a cup of steaming coffee.

"Watching it now, Janice." The Captain said while taking a sip of his cup. The television showed Caroline Bingley as she sat with Marine Bishop, the host of the talk show, The Truth. Three women sat on each side of the couch and Caroline in the middle.

"Caroline, Can you tell us how you felt about the disappearance of Elizabeth Darcy and the accusations saying her husband, Fitzwilliam Darcy, is the killer?"

"I really don't know how to make of it all! I know William and Eliza were having their differences but this is too much! I don't want to say anything too much about it for respect of the Darcy's privacy and my brother. They're family after all." Caroline said convincingly.

"Oh yes, your sister-in-law is Elizabeth Darcy's older sister. This must be such a trying time for you all." Caroline nodded and even had a tear go down her cheek as she spoke next.

"I-I wish all this ends well for my family's sake. I hope Charles can regain his peace of mind again. I don't think our family can take much more heart ache, especially with how close each of us is with William." Marine Bishop held Caroline's hand to comfort her.

"I'm so sorry, I forgot about how sensitive this matter is for you. I didn't take into consideration your relationship with the Darcy's. Your engagement with Mr. Darcy must still be painful for you." Caroline didn't say anything about this and just out a hand on her chest like she couldn't breathe.

" There have been many rumors about your break up." Marine said the next question with care. "Did you have a feeling that he was dangerous?" The audience held their breathe as Marine asked the questions everyone wanted to know. Caroline shook her head.

"He was the most gentle man I knew! I just can't fathom how the man I knew, the man I loved could have down this."

"People can change." Marine said like she was the first to ever say that phrase. "What do you think changed him? "Caroline kept trying to regain her breath and took a tissue offered to her by one of the stagehands (1).

"Thank you." Caroline said weakly to the stagehand that offered her a tissue. "I just believe any of this. William is a loving man and his wife-"

"The women he left you for?" Marine interrupted.

"William was doing what he felt was right. His grandfather started Darcy Corp. and William felt such an obligation to keep it growing." Marine hugged Caroline as she talked to the audience.

"Our resources tell us that the Darcy's had a loveless marriage and we even have a clip of an interview we did with an employee of Mr. and Mrs. Darcy that told us what she saw daily in Darcy Corp. Her face has been hidden to protect her identity." The audience started to whisper among themselves. The clip was only two minutes long but it painted The Darcy's as completely cold to each other and Mr. Darcy in love with another woman.

"What my viewers want to know," Marine paused dramatically " what America wants to know is: Are you the other women?" Before the Captain could hear Caroline's response, he was called into a meeting with his agents. This stopped the Captain from seeing any more of the interview with Caroline Bingley. The meeting was held in one of the conference room and all the agents told the Captain what they found.

Ten Minutes Later

"So let me get this straight." The Captain looked at his team with disbelief. "You are telling me that the girl that Darcy was seeing was his own wife? How does that make sense?"

"Beats me Captain." The rookie of the team spoke up. "All the evidence points to Mr. Darcy not having any other woman or women in his life."

"Jerome," The Captain looked at his lead detective with aggravation. "Can you explain this situation to me?" Jerome stood from his chair and lead The Captain to the main board and pointed to Darcy's phone records and credit card reports.

"The number Mr. Darcy called to were made to a cell phone that was in Mrs. Darcy's bag. The phone also had calls from Jane Bingley and Mr. Bennet. It seems that Mrs. Darcy was receiving some harassing calls and Mr. Darcy bought her another phone just for close friends and family."

"Who made the harassing calls?" The Captain asked interested.

"Mrs. De Bourgh and Ms. Caroline Bingley."

"Figures." The Captain said unsurprised. "What did you find about the credit cards." Jerome looked at his notes.

"Mr. Bingley told me that Mr. Darcy would move the moon for his wife and he was close to the truth. Mr. Darcy is owner to the Darcy vaults. We know the vaults are extensive. Not only does it carry money and property contracts but also hundreds of family jewels. On the wedding night, he gave his mother's crest necklace to Mrs. Darcy. Mr. Darcy seems like the type of man who would give his significant other what he could."

"So your telling me that Darcy is the kind of guy you see in those sappy chick flicks?"

"Pretty much, except he has the dough to back it up. He bought her a gift every time he was away. That was often too." Jerome walked over to another picture that showed a well-furnished room. "That brings us to that room Mr. Darcy had in the Garden of Eden. We were able to include the room in the warrant. It seems that the room's only purpose was for the couple's reunion."

"They couldn't meet at the airport like any other couple?" The Captain looked at the pictures of the room.

"It seems that the press would appear everywhere Mr. Darcy. From Mr. Darcy's calendar, we noticed that he had meetings with his VP and Darcy Corp.'s lawyer. Both are single men and liked to go to The Garden of Eden." A huge sigh came from the Captain and interrupted Jerome.

"Jerome, cane you wait a minute? You are telling me that Mr. Darcy basically rented that room because he couldn't wait to see his wife?" Jerome nodded.

"He would meet up with Mrs. Darcy when his VP and lawyer were busy with other girls that come into the venue. The Garden of Eden isn't a strip joint either. It is where business men see their secret girlfriends or wives."

"You lost me there." The Captain looked at Jerome with confusion. "Why would these business men need a place like Garden of Eden to see their significant others?"

"The establishment is said to have top security and they gaurantee complete secrecy. All their windows are tinted and their is more than a few secret entrances." Jerome pointed to all the secret entrances on the board.

"Jerome, I want you to look into Caroline Bingley. Something isn't right and I need everyone else to see Darcy's financials. God, the lives of the rich and famous is starting to give me a migraine." The Captain ended the meeting with those words before leaving his agents.

**Author's Notes:**

**(1) Major applause goes out to any of your who do tech support for theatre departments or any kind of entertainment! I have friends who work my last high school and they were always such a major key to the productions. We called them Techies and I personally don't like to say stagehands (sounds so minimal compared to all the work they actually do).**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:**

** Tremu, you are officially amazing! Thank you so much for making me aware of chapter four's slip up. I can't believe the whole chapter wasn't there when I uploaded it! I thought I finally had it done perfectly when I had it up. I hope learned from this instance and will give you ****complete**** chapters next time. Thank you for reading and I am so happy that you are still interested in the story!**

** LoveInTheBattleField, thank you for that great poem ( I don't know how it relates to the story but nice!)**

** Dizzy Lizzy.60, I wanted to make Caroline not the usual bimbo make her in modern adaptions so I hope my Caroline will bother you but will stand out. **

** Saralee, I am always so happy to see your name in the reviews section. Hopefully, I can give you the whole reason why the "murder" happened in this chapter or the next. I think the motive will be in this chapter while the "how they did it" will be in the next. **

Chapter Five

**North Brother Island, New York**

_Flashback 8 months ago_

_Three men reached the Island of North Brother silently. Each man didn't even glance at the others for more than a second. Out of the three, two were related by blood but all of them were family. Each so close to the other two that he felt they were connected by someone more than blood. This kind of bond was forged by loyalty and that loyalty tirelessly tested through time._

_As they tied up the boat and entered the island, Darcy looked over at the land. North Brother Island was meant to be a quarantine island in the late 1800's. The many plagues that reached American soil were multiplied by the close living quarters made in New York. As the threat of plagues declined, North Brother was turned to homes for veterans of World War II. No one has occupied the island since the 1950's which made the island vulnerable to mother nature. Buildings from another time surrounded the three men as they headed to one of the more livable buildings. North Brother Island never stopped amazing Darcy. Plants cocooned houses and lampposts. Trees grew within homes. Nature destroying what man kind built, once again taking what was hers._

"…_in the day after humans disappear, nature takes over and immediately begins cleaning house - our houses." Richard whispered as the men walked towards a thick wall of vegetation. _

"_Alan Weisman's The World Without Us, very good Richard." Darcy teased his cousin as he opened a door that was hidden by vines and ivy. _

"_Thought I would say a word or two to welcome us back." Richard said as he took off his heavy coat and set it on a coat rack that had a peg missing. _

"_Charles, would you?" Darcy pointed to the covering that was on the table and sofa. The men cleaned up the place quickly and began standing around a mahogany table, only two yards in length. _

"_Now, what is this about Charles?" Richard was the first to ask as he looked at his two friends. In response, Bingley dropped a heavy manila envelope on the table. Not saying a word, Bingley opened the envelope and put the documents on the table. As the documents were put side by side, Darcy made quick not of them._

"_They're contracts and financial papers." Darcy said as he looked at one. _

"_Yes, a friend of mine that works in the police found these." Bingley said as he went to the other side of the table so he could tell his friends what he found. _

"_Where?" Richard asked clearly, his voice becoming more of a soldier than concerned friend. _

"_He was doing some undercover work for his department in California when he saw this. The department's tech unit was able to decode a lot of information on a computer they found in a deposit box. Long story short, he saw this and gave me these just a few hours ago." Bingley concluded and looked at Richard then at Darcy._

"_Do you think this is Wickham?" Darcy asked Richard without taking his eyes off the documents. _

"_By this point, I don't want to rule him out. I don't think he could find these without some help though. All these documents seem to be transactions from an offshore account. Foreign banks know that Wickham is unreliable so I don't think he could be the main problem." Richard said while taking a seat. "Last time I tracked him, he was in Las Vegas. Didn't hear anything fishy though."_

"_Of course, found a new widow?" _

"_Oh yeah, and one that's very fond of him."_

"_Your friend?" Darcy looked at Richard._

"_I knew her before she retired. She was bored so I told her to keep an eye on Wickham and she went all the way. It helped a little that her late husband had a pretty bank account before he passed though. She says he keeps her young, follows his movements pretty good." Darcy nodded and looked at one paper._

"_Charles, what's this?" _

"_The main reason why I asked you two here." Bingley leaned on the table and took in a breath. "I think someone is trying to hurt the Bennets." _

"_Are you sure? How do we not know they aren't trying to hurt Darcy by using Elizabeth's family?" Richard strategically asked. "The Darcy's are a global economic power and the Bennets are a regular family?" _

"_True but if you look here and here we see a lot of common initials coming up." Bingley pointed at a few places where initials were circled. The initials ED and JB were circled many times and were a continuous presence in the documents. Darcy looked up at his friend._

"_I'm sorry to bring this up Charles but have you thought about your sister. She is also living in California and she has never like Elizabeth or Jane." Bingley sighed but knew his friend was right._

"_I have thought of that possibility and I truly wish I could absolutely deny Caroline's involvement but I can't."_

"_My money's on Aunt Catherine." Richard looked at the papers closely. "See the numbers William?" Darcy stepped closer at the document and saw a large amount deposited just last month. "Who else can have this much capital?" Richard asked._

"_Aunt Catherine is spiteful but I don't believe she's dangerous." Darcy said with no hesitation. "She is too prideful to deal with any one of this…occupation." _

"_I would still not like to underestimate our dear aunt William." _

"_Agreed." Darcy looked at Bingley. "Why do you think the Bennets are endanger though? I see evidence that Elizabeth and Jane might be watched but not anything threatening towards them."_

"_My friend looked at the money sent and he found that the money was sent to a foreign account and that account could be owned by someone in Manhattan Police Department." Bingley looked at his two friends. "Someone is planning to do something very illegal and is paying a cop to look the other way." _

"_You think the police can't be trusted?" Richard nodded and understood now why Bingley was concerned. The wheels of paranoia and conspiracy turned in Richard's mind._

"_I think someone has been bribed. Someone of high rank by the look of the money sent." _

"_You never told us what case your friend from California was working on." Darcy looked worriedly at Bingley._

"_The computer they found was owned by a man named George Connors. He was a middleman of sorts. He was paid by many gangs and other bad men to do the in between work. He made sure that money went to the proper accounts and that each side was paid properly."_

"_So he was an accountant for them?" Richard tried to see details of the money flow in the documents._

"_Yes but he also made sure that each side communicated through him. In a way, he was like Craigslist. When a client needed something, he was the one to find it and make the connections."_

"_I understand." Darcy put both of his fists on the table to keep himself up. "But why did your friend give you this information? If found out, he could loose his badge and all credibility."_

"_True and when he was putting the strings together his department told him to forget it. That computer had a lot of gang accounts that the department was focusing on. However, my friend had a gut feeling about these documents and knew that his department wouldn't pick up the case. He knew that someone in Manhattan's department turned dirty but didn't know who or how many exactly. He found one account but there could be more that he didn't find. This is one of those times where he was questioning the system." Bingley looked at Darcy and Richard with sorrow. _

"_You said all of the Bennets Charles but I can only see Elizabeth and Jane's initials." Bingley flipped one of the papers and it was a picture of a napkin with the initials "ED, JB, MB, KF, LB" listed one after the other. _

"_My friend found this when he went to the Connor's home. He doubted it was a coincidence. He visited Connors in prison and he thinks the list is created specifically. That whatever they are going to do to the Bennet Girls, they have to do in order. So they can't get to Kitty without getting to Mary first and before that Jane and-"_

"_Elizabeth" Darcy said finally. Bingley looked at Darcy and Richard to make sure his friends were taking this in well. Each man in the room took the threat on the Bennet girls seriously. Each of their lives was forever changed by the love of a Bennet woman._

"_Georgiana is being used." Darcy said as he walked towards the window with stiff steps._

_ "How?" Richard walked toward his kinsman. His voice agitated as he thought of someone not only trying to hurt Kitty but also use Georgiana to do it._

_ "Last month, Elizabeth was out of town for a meeting and I was supposed to join her that same day but was delayed at the office. I went back home and I found one of Georgiana's friends in the house. Georgiana and her were there for the night before they left for school. I thought it strange at the time but the girl looked like she was looking too hard."_

_ "Like she was mesmerizing the place?" Richard went back to the table. "Dear God, where are they finding these bloody women?" _

_ "Did I miss something?" Bingley looked at Darcy with confusion. "It just sounds like she liked your house."_

_ "There is a difference Charles," Richard started "between admiring and cataloging it. The girl must have been looking at all the entrances and exits of the place. Unless the girl had fears of spontaneous fires erupting, why would she be paying so much attention to the details? This means this isn't some harmless robbery either. If someone wanted something, they would have taken it when Darcy and Elizabeth were out of the house. I think it's safe to assume someone is out there for blood."_

_ "Are you sure Richard?" Darcy asked sternly as he thought of Elizabeth and how this would affect her. _

_ "I'm sorry William but I rather us be paranoid than dead. The money is the biggest factor. That amount is called blood money for a reason. This isn't for company secrets or anything that meaningless. I've seen too many awards for someone's head to think differently. Do we know when the plan for Elizabeth is set?" _

_ "Around eight months from now. It looks like the dates are not specific. They range within a month." Richard nodded._

_ "I suggest Darcy that we set up a few traps for whomever is coming and when we catch him, we make it look like he did what he was suppose to do." _

_End of Flashback_

**Author's Note:**

**I always felt Kitty and Richard Fitzwilliam would be good together. I think Kitty's perky personality will match Richard's cheerfulness but he would be able to balance her. Richard's ability to focus and be serious in a moment's notice will help Kitty be more responsible and sensible. **

**As always, please tell me if something is not making sense or if you are confused. Thank you so much for reading this far!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **

Chapter Six

**Rhodes, Greece**

"Will? "

"Hmmm?" Darcy looked down at his wife as he ran his fingers down her spine.

"You looked far away. Are you okay?" Elizabeth twisted her body so she could lay her head on Darcy's chest.

"I am now." Darcy tightened his hold on his wife.

"They didn't get me. I'm right here."

"But they could have. If I didn't listen to Richard, you would have really been dead."

"But I'm not." Elizabeth looked at her husband softly and tried to communicate how safe she felt. "I'm right here Will. I will always be with you and I love you."

"Say that again." Darcy looked into the same eyes that captured him all those eyes ago.

"I love you."

_Flashback Three Weeks Ago_

_**The Darcy Vacation Home in the Hamptons**_

"_Is he in?" Darcy said into the walky-talky. He was dressed all in black and hid himself just a few feet away from Elizabeth. The living room area had big windows that allowed the intruder to see Elizabeth dressed casually reading a book with only a small lamp beside her as a light source._

"_Yes, I found him entering the south gate. He used something to stop the alarm system and is doing a good job of not creating any tracks behind him." Richard replied as he followed the intruder inside the property. "He spotted Elizabeth. It doesn't look like he is caring a weapon with him." Richard described and moved closer to the target. "I think he's planning it to kill Elizabeth with someone in the house." Both Richard and Darcy held their breath as they each watched the intruder use a couple of tools to enter the house. Darcy followed the intruder as he went into the kitchen. Elizabeth did her best to act normal and fix her headphones so it looked like she was listening to music when she was actually not. _

"_Richard, he is grabbing a knife from the kitchen." Darcy purposely covered in darkness, followed the man attempting to kill his wife. Elizabeth sat unaware of what was going on but felt the air become very thick and it became uncomfortable to swallow. As she looked down at her iPhone to "change" the song she saw the reflection of a knife above her. _

"_AHHHHHHHH" Elizabeth screamed and immediately fell onto the floor in her panic. The intruder didn't even have a chance to reach Elizabeth as Darcy came out of the darkness and tackled him. The knife was still in the intruder's hand and both men wrestled on the ground. Darcy was physically capable of stopping this man but was put into a disadvantaged by the weapon. Elizabeth felt a new wave of fear as the intruder tried to fatally harm Darcy with the knife. Elizabeth did her best not to scream each time Darcy was hit by a bunch. Both men were standing now and using anything in arm's reach to harm each other. It was obvious that the intruder was an experienced killer and was trying to corner Darcy. Elizabeth grabbed whatever was beside her, the book she was "reading", and ran toward the end of the hall. She went behind the intruder, as he was about to hit Darcy and struck him. This didn't do much to faze the intruder but it was enough time so Richard could come into the house and take hold of the intruder. _

"_Elizabeth," Darcy said before he joined Richard in his office "remember what we planned. Go!" Elizabeth felt like a coward as she watched her husband go face her attacker while she undressed and quickly dressed in a new outfit hidden in the piano. She ran to the car outside her home and drove off. Elizabeth would pray for Will's and her family's safety as she flew away to Rhodes in a small plane._

_ Darcy and Richard put the man unconscious while they prepared the scene to make the world believe that Elizabeth died._

_Richard ran to grab the body he was able to procure from an old friend in the army. He currently worked as a local police chief in the Hamptons and gave Richard a body similar to Elizabeth's. The height, weight, and hair were just right. The body came from one of the many DUI accidents that happened in the area around this time of year. Young and rich people who don't see their own mortality (1). Richard made sure that the body would not be missed and easily made arrangements to take the body secretly._

_Richard would later be able to bribe the coroner who would examine "Elizabeth's body" to take a sample of Elizabeth's blood. This would identify the body as Elizabeth's when the police asked for a DNA match. Richard dressed the body in Elizabeth's clothes that she just discarded and had the body put into pieces. This made the body completely mutilated. This would help make the police believe it was Elizabeth. The face would be so torn up and the teeth would give no clue of the contrary since the teeth would be gone. Richard quickly dumped the pieces of the body into the waters of the North Atlantic._

_ Darcy grabbed the blood bags that contained Elizabeth's blood and created the murder scene. The intruder and Darcy created already made a good mess out of the home. A struggle definitely looked like it took place but Darcy had to make it so that the knife the intruder held had blood. Darcy made trails of drops of blood and finally a big enough pool so the police would think they were where Elizabeth died. The police would have no doubt that Elizabeth died after seeing the amount of blood. Richard and him already figured out by the intruder's method of weapon that all of this was so it looked like Darcy killed his own wife. _

_ It didn't take much after that. Richard left the Darcy property and threw the clothes he had in a random dumpster far away from where Darcy lived. The still unconscious intruder was put into a cell. The same Police Chief that gave Richard a similar looking corpse to Elizabeth was very happy to help his old friend. Right after the "murder," Richard went into a small hotel and laid low, after all he was in vacation visiting an old friend. _

_Next Day_

"_Last night's murder has rocked Wall Street. Multi-billionaire Fitzwilliam Darcy is a suspect in murder of his wife, Elizabeth Darcy nee Bennet. The two were married two years ago and are equal owners in the multi-million dollar company. The police have not released details of the investigation to the press but our station has found a few key pieces of the crime. The body of Elizabeth Bennet was found out in the waters by a couple of fishermen early this morning. The body was in pieces of apparently and the police had to search for the missing pieces. The waters seemed to be rough on the body and there is not much hope to know much since the body was in the water. This will only agitate investigators since evidence could have been wiped away. I'm Trina Clark from Manhattan News. Bringing you the latest." This prodcast was seen by many and so many wondered if Fitzwilliam Darcy will be able to get away with murder. _

_End of Flashback_

**Author's Note:**

**(1) I hope I didn't offend anyone with that statement. I don't want to generalize certain people (like it's only wealthy kids who think this) but it is true that a lot of teenagers/young adults do dangerous things without thinking of the worst outcome. **

**I read a human body depending on the height is around 4-5 liters of blood. It takes 2.11338 pints to make 1 liter. A person donates 1 pint of blood when they go to a blood donation center. So the body has around 8-10 pints of blood. A person reaches unconsciousness when he/she loses 40% of blood and dies when losing 75% of blood. It also depends on how fast the blood is lost.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:  
I am so happy that all of you are enjoying the story and understand my craziness! This sounds terrible but usually things that make sense to me don't make sense to others so I'm praying my story comes across well.**

** cutelilmochi, Richard would have a lot to gain…that's all I can say. You are going to have to guess if he has anything (or lack of anything) to make his loyalties change.**

Chapter Seven

_Flashback Eight Months Ago_

_**Manhattan, New York**_

"_Please relax Elizabeth. It will go faster if you lay down and calm down." Elizabeth tried to relax as Mary put the needle in Elizabeth's vein and prepared the scale. "Have you heard from Jane?" Mary asked, doing her best to distract her sister._

"_Not since last week." Elizabeth said as she made room for Mary on the bed. "She and Charles were thinking of seeing mom and dad next month though."_

"_I'm surprised they didn't make the trip sooner." Mary commented as she made an undetected glance at the scale to monitor the amount of blood her sister lost. _

"_True, mom was scolding me about not giving her any grandchildren yet." Elizabeth laughed with Mary._

"_At least you aren't hearing her lecture about the importance of finding a husband still."_

"_Be patient Ms. Pre med." Elizabeth teased Mary as the younger sister blushed. "Has she tried setting you up with any of the doctors in your work yet?"_

"_Since I started." Mary rolled her eyes. "I told her that most of them are married and the other half either have girlfriends or are gay." Elizabeth laughed and pushed Mary a little._

"_You sneaky thing!"_

"_Well it's true, most of it anyway." Mary smiled at her sister. "Thanks again Elizabeth for helping me. I thought I was going to die at home."_

"_What are sisters for? Besides, you did the real work. I thought mom was going to faint when you told her you wanted to come join Jane and me in the US." Both sisters laughed remembering their theatric mother.  
"At least dad helped steer her into supporting me instead of blaming me for her poor health."_

"_Yeah, only when he pointed out that you being in medicine meant you'll be around doctors all day."_

"_Then she needed another set of smelling salts when she found out that I was going to teach some incoming nurses." Both sisters giggled and refinanced about their family when Mary noticed that Elizabeth's blood bag was full. _

"_Please hold still for a moment Elizabeth." Mary pulled out the needle from Elizabeth's arm and put a tight bandage on it. After securing all the ends of the blood bag she put it in a cooler. "Congratulations, your first blood bag is done. Now we have only nine more to go."_

"_That's all?" Elizabeth looked puzzled at the small number. "Does the body really contain that small of blood?" _

"_It depends on the height of the body but a body has about four to five liters of blood. There are 2.11338 pints in a liter a person donates one pint of blood when they donate. In all, the body has around nine to ten pints of blood. A person reaches unconsciousness when he or she loses forty percent of blood and dies by loss of seventy-five percent. It also depends on how fast the blood is lost." Mary said automatically. Elizabeth listened to her sister's explanation work and smiled. She couldn't believe how far had come from that shy but passionate girl in England. _

"_You are an amazing doctor Mary, I hope you know that." Elizabeth said while appreciating her sister's efficient work. _

"_Thanks Elizabeth but I have to thank you and Jane." Elizabeth reached out to hold Mary's hand._

"_We love you Mary and both of us felt terrible thinking back. We both wished we talked to you more." Mary nodded but smiled at Elizabeth._

"_Thank you Elizabeth but I understand. I'm not going to lie, I felt left out and overshadowed but I partly did that to myself. I was the middle child and no one seemed to be interested in me so I gave up on any of you understanding me." Mary said matter of fact. "You had Jane and Lydia had Kitty. Dad's favorites were you and Jane as mother favored Lydia, Jane, and Kitty." _

"_I know we already talked about this but I just want to tell you again that we never meant to close ourselves off to you."_

"_I don't know if that makes it better." Mary said honestly but not angrily. "That just means that it came naturally for everyone to pair up and leave me out." Mary sighed and looked at her older sister. "Elizabeth, I'm okay right now. The thing is that God made us sisters but we weren't friends." Mary took Elizabeth's hand. "But now we are and I'm happy to call you a sister and a friend." Elizabeth let go of Mary's hand so she could hug her instead. "I really do love you, Lizzy."_

"_I love you Mary. Thank you for doing this for me. I don't think I could trust anyone else to do this." Elizabeth said as she put on her jumper._

"_It is better if we keep this between a few people. It just looks like I'm visiting you and William like usual. No one knows what we are really doing." Mary said as she put her kit in the usual hiding place. "Besides whoever is doing this, can't get to me if they can't get to you. I'm doing this for perfectly selfish, survival reasons." Elizabeth smiled at her sister's newly acquired humor. Spending time with others really changed Mary's stiff personality. She was able to say things more naturally and didn't have to stay quiet because of lack of interest in conversations. _

"_You sound like Richard."_

"_Spend too many days with him and Kitty. They're still in the honeymoon phase, it is positively revolting."_

"_Wait until it's you." Elizabeth joked._

_End of Flashback_

**Valentino in 5****th**** Avenue, New York**

"Mr. Hart and Ms. Bingley" Mr. Welder, the head male fitter, immediately addressed Josh and Caroline as they came through the doors. "Both of your staff have informed us of your request and we have your dressing rooms ready." Josh and Caroline were led to different parts of the store so they could look at their selections and be fitted.

One hour and a half later

"Thank you again Mr. Welder for your guidance." Josh shook the older gentlemen's hand as he came out of the men dressing room; back to wearing his own dark denim and designer button down shirt that Caroline made him wear.

"You can't visit Valentino while wearing a ratty t-shirt and jeans" Those words were the first in a long lecture that frustrated Josh enough to change his apparel.

"No, thank you Mr. Hart for being so patient." Mr. Welder said as he gave the fitted suit to one of the assistants. Josh grew to appreciate Mr. Welder's work and dedication. The degree of stress Caroline has over clothes always distressed Josh. It just seemed something so insignificant compared to other things in the word but he appreciated Mr. Welder's craftsmanship. Mr. Welder's knowledge of fabrics and stitch work was impressive. Who was Josh to judge another man's art?

"I hope to see you again." Both men smiled and shook hands again when they heard Caroline's infamous demanding yells. "I'm so-"Mr. Welder shook his head.

"In the business, I've seen many people and all I can say is that it is nothing new. Sadly, there are those who do not see the value of others and confuse money and status for a person's value. If I may be so bold, I would also advice you to think about how a significant other reflects on your own character." Mr. Welder looked at Josh warmly. "To be in a relationship with a person means to support that person because you know that she is a person worth the struggle of a relationship. Pick your other half wisely Mr. Hart. Choose wisely."

Josh ended up waiting for Caroline for another hour before they split so Caroline could browse other stores and Josh could break away from the chaos. Josh heard of New York's lively atmosphere and had to admit that it had its advantages. He was able to go to different places without anyone taking a double glance at him. Just buy a simple cap to cover his hair and toss on a pair of sunglasses and no one either looked his way. Josh took a cab and asked for a casual place to eat. He ended up in a restaurant slash bar that was far enough from the masses.

The place was filled and there wasn't much space to move around. It didn't look like a place where a waiter or waitress comes by to take orders but more of a deli with people ordering over the counter. Josh found a table outside that seemed to only have one person occupying it. The occupant was a girl reading a book. After debating his level of hunger, Josh decided to ask the girl if he could eat with her. She in turn only nodded and didn't stop reading her book. Josh was able to order a beer and a sandwich before heading back to the table and hearing the girl talk to her phone.

"I'll be fine Kitty. I'll just eat here and I'll call you later. It's okay with me, really. I understand Richard is busy. Love you and stay safe." The girl put down her phone and looked out at the scenery.

"Do you mind if I still eat here?" Josh asked once again and the girl finally turned towards him. Her eyes instantly turned wide but she didn't look like she recognized him. Plus he had his "disguise" still on.

"I was just going to leave." The girl suddenly said and tried to sit up.

"I heard you say you were going to stay to eat. Since I'm taking your table, let me buy you something to eat."

"Oh, ummm…." The girl started to look around, avoiding his eyes. "That's alright. I better go home anyway, I have an early day tomorrow." The girl clearly was trying to get away from him. Josh couldn't help but find this a bit funny and cute. The British accent didn't hurt either.

"No, I insist." This didn't help convince the girl to stay. She was still getting up and holding onto her bag. "Besides, I've been looking for someone to discuss _Street Car Named Desire_." That stopped the girl completely.

"You've read it?" The girl asked, actually putting down her bag and looking at Josh like he grew another head.

"My major required many plays. Tennessee Williams was a nice break from Shakespeare too. Both were passionate but Williams had such a different presence in his plays." Mary nodded, finally looking like she was comfortable with this stranger.

"Shakespeare's words are also more formal now so works like William's seem more fit to today's world."

"I agree, the time difference does make each author come across differently. William's use of symbolism is also to be admired."

Two Hours Later

"Mary?" Josh looked up to see a girl with similar looking features and accent as the girl in front of him walks up to them.

"Kitty?" The girl who Josh now figured to be called Mary stood up. "I thought you couldn't make it?"

"I couldn't but Richard told me to come so I could at least take you home." Kitty lips suddenly started to turn to a Cheshire like grin. "I guess you're fine though."

"Kitty that-" Mary stopped as she looked at the clock on the wall. "Oh! It's late! I have to do the morning class. I should go now." Mary quickly gathered her bag before Josh could say anymore. "Thank you so much for a wonderful dinner and conversation! " Mary said as she rushed to push her sister out of the restaurant.

"He was so cute!"

"He was wearing sunglasses. You couldn't tell." Mary said to defuse her sister's teasing.

"It's not like he was wearing a mask. Besides, the sunglasses cover about one percent of him. You had to check out the rest of him at some point. You need to have a body to pull that shirt off!"

"Kitty!" Mary tried to whisper. "He's still close by! Can we save this for later?"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**Darcy Apartment, New York**

_Flashback Seven Months Ago_

"_What are Richard, Charles, and William hoping to achieve with your 'death'?" Mary asked her sister as she walked into the kitchen. "Wouldn't your death just allow the mastermind of this plot to move on to Jane?" Elizabeth shook her head._

"_My 'death' will buy us some time to uncover who is behind this and we'll be able to find more information when we entrap my 'killer'." Elizabeth tried to explain as she began to make tea in the kitchen. _

"_What if they use another assassin or the mastermind tries to check in with your 'killer' but can't since he'll be locked up?" Mary asked._

"_Charles and Darcy thought the same thing but Richard guaranteed that this line of work is better with less people. Whoever is doing this, would like less witnesses. Plus, the less people who know would mean a lesser possibility for blackmail." Mary started to understand now._

"_Additionally, it might be more convenient to silence all this if there is only one. That would make it so no one would know about the murders since the only people who knew about it are either behind bars or dead." _

"_It seems that's how everything was planned. Charles was able to find out from some connections that George Connors already died last week from an inmate."_

"_Brilliant." Mary nodded, having to raise her glass at the thoroughness of this plot. "No one would expect anything since Connors had so much dealings with the wrong people." Elizabeth nodded sadly._

"_The one who killed Connors was from a gang. He told the police that he was getting revenge because his gang found out Connors was making deals with rival gangs."_

"_It was very convenient for Connors to be arrested in such a crucial point of all of this." Mary said suspiciously and Elizabeth picked up on it._

" _Charles brought up that the friend whose department arrested Connors was able to because an anonymous tip. He thinks whoever hired Connors also got him arrested." Elizabeth gave her sister her cup of tea before sitting down on a chair close to the kitchen counter. _

"_Planned this from the very start. " Mary took a sip of her tea. "If Charles' friend didn't look deeper, this whole plan could have gone undetected."_

"_I think that was what they depended on. That the information on the computer about the gangs would distract the police so they wouldn't look deeper into Connors' other dealings." Elizabeth sipped more of her morning tea. "Then it would be absolutely too late to stop the killer from killing each and every Bennet girl."_

"_You aren't planning to tell Jane?" Mary finally asked after a few minutes of silence. Elizabeth shook her head and put her cup down._

"_I think if it is better if we don't. Charles is already making arrangements for them to go into hiding as well after my 'death.' Charles is planning on the media believing it is because they need time to mourn my 'death'."_

_End Flashback_

**The Waldorf Tower (Luxury Hotel), New York**

"Charles? Do you really think it is a good time for this trip? What if Mary or Kitty needs us? The funeral is going to be hard on all of us." Jane asked her husband as he gave their bags to one of the hotel staff.

"Your sisters are worried about you Jane. Your father and mother even asked me to look after you since they know how close you were to Elizabeth." Bingley looked at his wife and couldn't stop himself from embracing her. Jane's eyes remained swollen from crying and sleepless nights. He bought her a pair of big lens sunglasses so she could wear them outside. The journalists and news reporters were being merciless towards them. Cameras were always being pointed at them.

"Poor Father and mother. They must be both in a terrible state. First Lizzy's untimed death then William." Jane said as her husband held her tighter to him.

"Dear heart," Bingley whispered to Jane "Your compassionate nature has always inspired me but it is time for your own grieving."

The two left their hotel early in the morning and arrived at England six hours later.

**Bennet House, England**

The Bennet house held no laughter or smiles as the Bingley's arrived. Mrs. Bennet's wild sobs and cries echoed throughout the home. Bingley later found Mr. Bennet in his library but the man was not reading or taking rest. No, Mr. Bennet's silence was graver than his former solitude. Both Jane and Bingley tried to break Mr. Bennet out of his silence but the man just stared blindly out his window. Mary and Kitty arrived two weeks before the funeral. Pictures were gathered and invitations to close friends and family were sent. The funeral was a close casket since no one could bear to see the remains that lied inside.

The funeral was held at the church where Elizabeth and all the Bennet girls were baptized. There was a problem while organizing Elizabeth's burial. It couldn't be decided if she would be buried near her childhood home or the Darcy family plot. Darcy's lawyers were strict though, "Elizabeth" was to be buried as a Darcy.

_Flashback _

"_I do not care what the bloody papers say! I will not let my daughter be connected to that man any longer!" Mr. Bennet's rage was daunting compared to his usual teasing nature. _

"_Father," Jane tried to ease the tension in the room "We don't know if William actually hurt Elizabeth."_

"_The man ran! Isn't that the same as confessing to the crime!" Mr. Bennet yelled as he slammed his fist on the table. "I will not let my baby girl lay next to such bastards! What have I done?" Mr. Bennet cried. _

_While Jane tried to console her father as Mary and Kitty negotiated with the lawyers. _

_One hour later_

"_I am sorry Ms. Bennet but nothing can be done. Your sister signed her body to the Darcy family when she died. Mr. Darcy was very specific in his instructions. Your sister must be buried in the Darcy plot." Mary sighed._

"_I understand, can we at least have the ceremony in our church?" Mary finally asked. "Can we at least have that?" The lawyers spoke a few minutes before coming back. _

_ "We have gone over the papers and that will be fine. Although, the casket has to be transported right after."_

_End of Flashback_

**Elizabeth Bennet's Funeral Reception**

"Thank you for coming." Each Bennet girl took turns greeting the guests at the door. They would thank them for their support and coming to the reception. Kitty was the first to be posted but Mary was the unlucky one to be there when their dear sister-in-law showed up.

"Thank-" Mary stopped when she saw the glittery stilettos "Caroline?" Caroline looked at Mary for a second and gave a sneer like face.

"Nice to see you again…Maria." Mary didn't bother to correct Caroline. "Why don't you be a dear and-actually never mind. I doubt you know how to handle Versace." Caroline seemed to not know the purpose of a funeral reception. The whole time she spent sighing in a corner and troubling Bingley about the lack of excitement.

"Caroline! This is a funeral reception, not a party." Bingley told her this many times but that didn't stop her from going on like her usual ways. Mary observed that the depth of Caroline's personality was nothing more than a shallow pool.

Two hours later 

"Bye Caroline." Bingley walked his sister out of the Bennet house and went back to see the disaster she left in her wake. The house was not filthy but the emotional toll was enough. "Jane." Bingley woke up his wife. "We need to leave now. Go to the car and I'll take care of everything else." Jane was too tired to fight and thanked her husband.

The Bingley's flew out to an unknown location while Mary and Kitty went back to New York.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:**

**When I was creating this story, I was afraid about the difference between British and American phrases. I hope my versions of Austen's beloved characters are acceptable to you all. If it's not obvious, I'm an American and have never been to Europe let alone England. I have read many fanfics and it always bothered me how forced a lot of the dialogue was. Some authors use "bloody" way too much or have their characters talk a little too formal too each other. That is why I thought bringing the characters to America would be a better situation for me. The characters would be influenced by American culture and might not use vocabulary (that I honestly don't know what they mean) that they would normally use in England. **

Chapter Nine

**LA, California**

"My funeral is today." Elizabeth said as she lay on her husband's chest. His heart beat soothing her and allowing her to think without interruption. Darcy responded by kissing her forehead.

"I'm sure it will be lovely. I always thought you were beautiful." Darcy said as his fingers combed through Elizabeth's now sandy blond hair.

"My, my, my, Mr. Darcy. Are you only interested in me now that I'm a blond? Such a rogue." Elizabeth teased her husband as she left the bed to take a shower. It didn't take long for Elizabeth to feel a pair of hands grab her waist and pull her into Darcy's arms.

"Elizabeth or Jennifer. It doesn't matter to me, as long as I can call you mine." Darcy whispered into her ear. Elizabeth looked at the man who would follow her to death, who did follow her and once again felt so unworthy of him.

After leaving Rhodes, Elizabeth Darcy was gone. It didn't come to a surprise when Richard told Elizabeth and Darcy this. Of course, Elizabeth couldn't be alive if her body was buried in the Darcy family plot.

Elizabeth needed to help find who was so willing to hurt her family. It took a lot of fights and talks but Elizabeth was able to convince Darcy to let her join him after Rhodes. The original plan was for her to stay in Rhodes while Darcy followed their first lead in LA but of course that plan was soon trashed.

The real hard part was to make all the necessary paperwork so Jennifer Johnson would be real. Elizabeth played with the idea of putting Emma Davis on her new ID but the initials, ED, might have been a risk.

It took Elizabeth longer to get ready now a days. Instead of her usual blouse and pencil skirts, a black body con dress was worn. Elizabeth eyes went wide when she looked at herself in the mirror. The key objective was to make Elizabeth fit in with most of the woman in LA. That meant wearing tanning lotion until her skin naturally tanned from the sun. It also meant transforming her face everyday by using many cosmetics.

_Flashback Five Months Ago_

_**Darcy Apartment, New York**_

_ "You put the product where the sun would naturally hit your face." Elizabeth turned her face so Kitty could reach the sides of her face. "Women in America have many styles of make up but since you will be in LA, it is safe to say that this level of dress will help you blend in more." Kitty turned Elizabeth around so she could see her face. "How do you feel Jennifer?" Elizabeth's eyes flew open when she saw herself. _

_ Elizabeth's natural brown eyes were covered with dark blue contacts and a blond wig covered her normal dark brown hair. What really made Elizabeth scared was how different her own face looked. She couldn't even recognize herself. Her whole face was transformed. Her cheeks were higher and sharper. Her lips even seemed fuller._

_ "It will be easier and more natural for you to dye your hair blond." Kitty instructed._

_ "The word natural has nothing to do with this." Elizabeth said more scared than anything else. Kitty giggled and sat down beside her sister. _

_ "Here, let me explain to you what I did so you can do this yourself." Kitty grabbed each tool and product she used. "First, you need to start with your skin. You will be in LA, so the sun will be hot and unforgiving." Kitty grabbed facial sunscreen, face primer, and a powder. "Put on your sunscreen then primer. The primer is pigmented so it will make you look tanner. You can use your hands for this." Kitty then reached for two different colored foundations and concealers. "This is the tricky part. To make your face look like it has a different shape and structure, I put two different foundations to trick the eye." Kitty pointed to each area she applied the concealers to. "The lightest color helps lift your face. It is how I was able to make your cheeks look so sharp and defined. You have a natural skinny face but I contoured it more so your face will have a different shape." _

_ "How did you make my lips look so…?"_

_ "Big?" Kitty smiled at her sister's obvious astonishment. "I just used a lip liner outside of your natural lip line and filled it in. I covered it in with pink lipstick and added a shimmery lipstick in the middle" Kitty pointed to Elizabeth's lips. " Your lips look plumper because of the light emphasizing the shimmer in the middle of your lips._

_ Elizabeth looked at Kitty with amazement. _

_ "What?"_

_ "I just feel like I misunderstood all of my sisters until now." Kitty shrugged and started to put the cosmetics into their proper containers. "I'm sorry for thinking you were shallow Kitty. I had no idea that this" Elizabeth pointed to all the cosmetics on the vanity "would be so…I mean what you are doing is like art! Transforming my face to look so different." _

_ "No one usually does." Kitty smiled a little. "Cosmetics can be superficial, there is no way to debate against that. But like everything else, it has how we use it." Elizabeth listened to her sister patiently. "Many people can see what I do as feeding vanity, hiding your natural face by covering it with cosmetics. So no one can know what you really look like. I admit, that was the first reason why I used a ton of this stuff. I always tried to keep up with Lydia since she was so tall naturally and that meant she looked thinner than me." Kitty looked at Elizabeth unembarrassed. _

_ "What changed?" Elizabeth asked finally._

_ "I grew to love myself and I started to see how the contouring wasn't so different from what I do for portraits." Kitty smiled "I know this sounds odd Elizabeth but even though we are fighting for out lives. I think a silver lining to this crisis is that it has made all our bonds stronger. Lydia is even coming to help." Elizabeth had to nod with agreement, first Mary with the blood and now Kitty. "We all use to think we knew each other and might have secretly not liked each other. Sibling rivalry, I don't know." Kitty exasperated as she sat down again. "We all lived with each for ten plus years and we never really __knew__ each other. I mean, look at Mary. Did you know she actually could smile and laugh?" Kitty joked than looked down, now ashamed. "I use to think such awful things about her. That she was boring and just was jealous of Lydia and me because we were popular with guys. It wasn't that. She was just a lot smarter than we were." Elizabeth reached over to hold Kitty's hand. _

_ "We all misunderstood each other. Minus Jane of course." Both girls were laughing when a knock was heard._

_ "That was fast." Kitty said as she walked to the door._

_ "Is Richard here to pick you up?"_

_ "No, I called William." Elizabeth stood up._

_ "Why did you call him?"_

_ "Your husband needs to know what you will look like while you two are undercover. This way, shock will be over with." Kitty explained as she let Darcy in and quickly saw that she better leave them alone. _

_End of Flashback_

One hour later

Elizabeth smiled remembering Darcy's first impression of her new look. She swore he almost had cardiac arrest.

After Elizabeth was done dressing herself, she headed downtown to her new job. The building wasn't hard to find. A large arched sign with the lighted word "Burlesque" stood apart from all the rest. Going up the stairs to reach the entrance, Elizabeth made her way to a ticket window but found no one inside. It seemed like the club was preparing for the night rush so Elizabeth walked to the bar.

"Hi, I'm looking for Tess." Elizabeth asked one of the bartenders with her American accent. She practiced with Darcy but it still felt so foreign to her.

"New girl?" The bartender said without looking her way.

"Yeah, I'm taking over the five to midnight shift."

"Tough." The bartender mixed a martini then set in on a tray. "Tess is upstairs with the girls." He pointed the direction to Elizabeth.

"Thanks." Elizabeth left the bar and found the stairs. She pulled down her dress a bit nervously before up. The short length still uncomfortable for her but she had to look the part.

Elizabeth looked around and didn't know how to react. It seemed the girls here had a dressing room (well floor). Vanities lined the walls and lights lit up the floor. Girls were running up and down. Sequins and rhinestones flying as girls glued on their fake eyelashes.

"Ali! Your on at five!" A woman with a commanding voice and personality yelled across the floor. "Where's Ali?" She asked all the dancers around her. One of the dancers shrugged.

"Last time I saw her, she was with Jack. They were going through the song one more time. You could probably find her with the band Tess."

"Thank you Coco." A bald man with a thick pair of glasses came through the room and gave Coco a pair of tiny navy blue, sequined shorts before walking with Tess to a closet like structure. Elizabeth immediately followed them.

"Miss. Tess?"

"Just Tess. And you are?" Tess responded with no hint of interest and kept walking away from Elizabeth.

"I'm Jenny." Elizabeth tried to catch up to Tess as walked around commanding girls to get on stage.

"And why should I care?"

"I talked with you on the phone. I'm here about the waitressing job."

"Oh, you should have started with that." Tess said still walking away from Elizabeth.

" Your shift is from five to midnight so expect to walk a lot. We're popular during that time since that's when my girls go up on stage. You get ten bucks per hour plus tips. So be nice to the customers." Tess said turning around. "Why are you still here?" Elizabeth immediately walked back to the door. "Wait! Let me look at you." Tess inspected Elizabeth. "Your dress and shoes are fine. One of the other waitresses is going to help you on your first shift. Oh and don't mess up." Elizabeth took that as her sign to leave. A red head wearing a leather outfit was waiting for her though.

"Follow me, Newbie." Elizabeth wordlessly followed her new coworker to the back. "Take these." A pair of black stilettos and an apron was pushed into Elizabeth's hands.

"Tess said my shoes were fine."

"For the dress code it is but if you want tips, than you are going to have spice it up a bit." Elizabeth looked down at her apparel and already felt like she "spiced it up" enough.

"I'm not going to wear anything shorter." Naomi rolled her eyes.

"Sexy doesn't mean short. It means wearing things that compliments your figure." Naomi looked through some racks and picked a black dress. "Try this." Elizabeth didn't argue as she went in the fitting room. The dress still clung onto Elizabeth's form but the dress stopped right above her calves. The top of the dress showed her shoulders and had a sweetheart neckline. "Your makeup is fine but I'm going to add some fake lashes to make your eyes more smoky. I'm Naomi by the way."

The club was busy but luckily Elizabeth had a good memory. She memorized each section of the club and which waitress was in charge of the section. There were a few businessmen in her section and she made it her mission to befriend each of them. She checked on them continuously and refilled their drinks fast. It wasn't hard since most of them brought model dates and were drinking.

Seven Hours Later

"How was your shift?"

"My feet are sore from wearing six inch heels and I can barely see through my eyelashes." Elizabeth said as she lay on the bed. Darcy came out of the bathroom and couldn't help but do a little appraisal of his wife's body.

For Darcy, it was an amazing sight. Elizabeth's body was encased in a sinfully black dress. Her hair was loosely hanging around her face from all the work she'd done. Elizabeth's toned legs flexing to give relief to the muscle in her calf. Her eyes half hooded and framed by thick lashes. Imagine all this, what man could resist?

He started by leaning over Elizabeth and taking off her heels one by one. Elizabeth looked back at Darcy's darkening eyes as he worked his way up her calf and pushed up her dress. Elizabeth couldn't stop the appreciative moans as she let Darcy bring her to a passionate kiss. Her eyes closed and back arching as Darcy went higher up her thigh.

"You're not playing fair Mr. Darcy." Elizabeth whispered in between kisses.

"When it comes to you, I don't give a damn. I win either way." Darcy said in between kisses along her collarbone.

**Author's Note:**

**I chose the name Jennifer for Elizabeth's alias because it has been in the top 5 most common girl's name in the US. Elizabeth needs a name that won't attract any attention. This is where years of watching movies and reading mystery novels comes into play. **

**P.S. Sorry for the long description of Elizabeth's makeover. I watch a lot of beauty tutorials so I was kind of in the zone. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:**

**This story has been a rollercoaster and I wanted to thank you all for being honest with me. I understand flashbacks are confusing and I promise I don't do them unless I believe they are necessary. Just think about the story as before and after the murder. Obviously, the flashbacks from months ago are before the murder and the flashbacks from just weeks ago is after the murder. Hope that helps and ****please comment so I know when I need to make the story clearer. **

** Mylittlespitfire, thank you so much for reminding me about the disclaimers! I posted that chapter really late so I forgot. **

** Whosepride, please tell me in the comments what you are confused about so I can try to make it clearer in future chapters.**

**Disclaimer: I did not create the characters of Burlesque or Pride and Prejudice.**

Chapter Ten

**LA, California**

"Jenny! Two Cosmos and three shots in table five!" Tess yelled across the bar. "I have a couple of investors so be nice." Elizabeth nodded and quickly ordered the drinks. Table five was usually Naomi's section but she already had her hands full with Damon, one of the dancer's (Georgia) husband, and his friends. Elizabeth's marriage with Darcy helped her read people and distinguish between who has money and who doesn't (or at least not as much as they would like others to think).

By the time Naomi was finally able to take her break, her red curls were out of place and her hands red.

"Thank God Ali is coming out soon. My feet are killing me!" Elizabeth looked down at Naomi's six-inch Betty Johnson's. "I'm going to hang out in the back until Tess drags me out!"

"Want me to cover for you?" Elizabeth asked.

"I'm okay. The club already is chaotic since Laura called in sick."

The crowd started to thin out around one in morning. It was Naomi and Elizabeth's turn to clean out the club going home.

"Jenny, do you mind switching tables if Damon and his friends come again? I'm not sure I can handle another night with them. I'll even take two of your tables."

"That bad huh?" Naomi rolled her blue eyes.

"Worse! They don't even tip well."

"What do the do anyway?"

"A couple of big business men and a doctor or two."

"They were really young." Elizabeth observed.

"Yeah but it is Nikki that brings in the big bucks. What can you expect from Nikki. I swear Nikki reads Forbes magazine. I mean, where does she find these men?" Naomi said while flipping over the last chairs. "I'm going now, see you tomorrow Jenny!"

Next Night

On her next shift, Elizabeth heard ton of the dancing girls whispering. The club was a little more crowded than usual so Elizabeth had to squeeze her way up to the changing room.

"Jenny! Thank God you're here. We are in code red." Laura, one of the other waitresses, said.

"What's wrong?" Elizabeth followed Laura to the bar.

"What isn't going wrong?" Laura humorlessly chuckled. "Tonight is the club's premier for Tess' new show. Maggie called in sick and everyone is so busy gossiping about Nolan Knight that I had to cover three more tables. Hold this." Laura passed Elizabeth two trays of shots.

"Who?" Both girls walked to tables, distributing drinks.

"Some guy that Nikki wants to sink her talons into." Laura said as she finished the last order and pointed to a table in the corner of the club. "He's the one in the dark button down with black curly hair. " Elizabeth looked at the man named Nolan for a second before going on with her shift.

"Hey J!" Naomi called Elizabeth over to the bar.

"Yeah? Mind going with me to hand out these drinks?" Elizabeth accepted and grabbed one tray. She walked to the table with Naomi in front of her.

The dancers were about to go up and Elizabeth could still see Nikki sitting on Nolan Knight's lap. Elizabeth couldn't hear anything but from Nikki's flirty grin and sensual body language, Elizabeth would bet it wasn't PG.

What surprised her was how cold Nolan was. He laughed and talked enough but he seemed to be mocking Nikki's efforts more than anything.

"Nikki!" Elizabeth looked up to see Tess calling Nikki into the dressing room. "Stage in five!"

"Yeah, yeah." Nikki said under her breathe while rolling her eyes. "I'll see you boys soon." Of course, it wouldn't be Burlesque unless Nikki swayed her hips to give the men a private show. Elizabeth was just finishing giving out the drinks when Damon told Naomi and 'Jenny' to sit with them for a second.

"No Dame, Jenny and I have to work. So we can keep you guys well stocked." Naomi tried to dissuade Damon.

"Come on Naomi! Look," Damon pointed to his friends "the guys are doing all right. Aren't we boys?" Damon held up his drink and all his friends hollered. "We would be honored if a pair of fine ladies like you would join a couple of bachelors."

"Bachelor? Did Georgia forget to tell me something?" One of Damon's guy pals said while taking a shot.

"True, true. Old habits die hard, what can I say?" Damon shrugged and pulled his arm around Nolan. "Then why not keep my friend, Nolan, company since I'm a one gal kind of guy?" Elizabeth looked at Naomi who rolled her eyes in response. Elizabeth decided to sit next to Damon while Naomi practically had to battle her way to sit next to Nolan. Up close, Elizabeth saw that Nolan had light grey eyes that in her opinion were joyless and seemed cold. Beside Nolan's unwelcoming eyes, Elizabeth didn't see anything wrong with him and decided he wasn't anything important.

It wasn't until after Elizabeth had to go back to serving that she saw something noteworthy.

Nolan was steading Damon's tipsy body. Elizabeth smiled at Damon's non-existent efforts to right his improper behavior. Then again what behavior is expected in a club? Elizabeth was walking toward them to offer assistance when she saw Nikki walk out and made Nolan drop Damon. Damon, drunk as he was, didn't notice much and his head lulled to the side. Elizabeth could see Nolan say something aggressive toward Nikki but Nikki paid no mind. Elizabeth's eyes followed the pair as they went to Tess' office.

Elizabeth followed them but made sure to walk onto on the front sole of her heels so the heel itself wouldn't announce her movements.

"Damon is useless." Nikki's voice was easy enough to distinguish. It was all too similar to her whining exclamations when one of the other girls dared to touch her stuff. Elizabeth didn't hear Nolan's reply but it sounded like he was calmer than Nikki. "Where is my cut? She said it would be done when I helped you make connections."

"You still haven't fully delivered."

"You know you can just-!" Nikki's voice was soon cut off by a slamming noise. It sounded like someone's body hit one of the walls.

"I told you to never approach me alone. It's reckless. Especially now this deep into the plans." Nolan's voice was much more threatening now. "You will get what you deserve later." Elizabeth didn't stay after that, knowing that Nolan or Nikki could spot her if she didn't leave.

**Orange County, California**

"The conference will be in the ballroom and if you need anything else, please call the lobby downstairs." The bellboy said before closing the door. Mary sighed and walked around her suite. There was a bedroom with a master bathroom, a kitchen, and living room area. It didn't take long to unpack. She changed to a simple pair high-waist dark jeans, white button down and a dark navy blazer. She grabbed her bag and a pair of black loafers before she went to the lobby to find a taxi.

Mary watched people and buildings go by until she arrived at the Orange County Library. There were no problems going unnoticed by the Librarian. The library was empty but that was to be expected from the time and season. Mary walked until she reached the scientific and mathematic section. She found a table in the corner. She had a good view of the whole library without being spotted.

It didn't take long for the chair in front of her to be occupied.

"Hello Liam. Thank you so much for meeting me here." The man took off his sunglasses and baseball cap to reveal ashy blond, short tousled hair and green eyes.

"Hello Mary." It was only when 'Liam' gave Mary a hug that he whispered "She misses you. It's nice to see you, sister-in-law."

"Tell her I miss her and it's nice to see you too." Mary smiled at Darcy before she sat down. "A present." Mary picked up the bag she brought and put all it's contents on the table. Darcy looked as Mary handed him a tape recorder with a pair of headphones and about ten files. Mary also gave Darcy a prepaid phone that he could easily dispose of if need be. "Number untraceable and only I have the number. Put on the headphones and it will be all explained." Mary said before sitting up and left the library.

Darcy did as Mary said and pressed play.

"Liam," Richard's voice came through the headphones. "The files given to you is what Charles and I have dug up. The files are also numbered so that you can follow along with my findings. As planned, Mary will be the one to hand you information in designated drop offs within her stay in Orange County. She will be in charge of texting you the place and time."

"File one contains the money trail we found from the intruder's bank account. Of course, the account was off shore and the trail ultimately led to Connor's computer. There was a couple of account numbers we were able to find though that weren't suppose to be there." That caught Darcy's interest. "Like a true bad guy, Connor planned to take out more money than he was suppose to. This tells us that whoever was paying for all of this had enough to the point Connor's didn't think a few hundred missing would be missed. Where did this lead us? None other but our dear aunt and before you march out of the library in blind rage you should know she wasn't alone."  
"I think Caroline is in on this whole thing." Richard sighed. "She is part of it but not deeply. I think Aunt Catherine told her to act a certain way in front of the cameras so that it would like you were having trouble in your marriage. It doesn't help that both have motives to want you behind bars or at least to suffer."

"File two mostly has Caroline's daily agenda. Charles was able to obtain it form Caroline's agent. It wasn't hard considering the assistant hates Caroline." That brought a bit of a smile to Darcy' face. "But all in seriousness, we were unfortunately right. Whoever is the mastermind of this, it wasn't Aunt Catherine. I think she is the being used by someone."

"Aunt Catherine is a snob but not completely a fool. So if someone is pulling the puppet strings on Aunt Catherine, this plan has many hidden doors. The money trail itself suggested complexity of it changing hands." Richard went on. "Elizabeth already knows where to start looking in one of the locations but we need to work on making it look like this plan is still ongoing. Charles told Jane that he is keeping her somewhere secluded for the media but he didn't tell her that to the rest of world, she is going to be dead. " Richard said the last words clearly so there was no mistake.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:**

**I am having trouble with my files so thank you so much for all your patience. My laptop is having a hard time reading the files so future chapters may be delayed. Please comment if you want me to address something in the story.**

Chapter Eleven

**5****th**** Avenue, New York**

"After the shocking murder of Elizabeth Darcy and her husband's mysterious disappearance, everyone had thought the worse was over. Tonight's news might make bigger waves in high style New York. The sister of Elizabeth Darcy, Jane Bingley, was announced dead last Thursday at five am. Charles Bingley kept the news of his wife's death secret so that he was able to prepare the small funeral. Friends of Charles say that he has been in shock and has not left his estate in LA. The Bingley's as you know, left their home in Manhattan to get away from the press. Charles Bingley, Jane's husband, has been heard to be worried about his wife's health. The shock of Elizabeth Darcy's death seems to have the most effect on her older sister. We have confirmation that the two were the closest out of the five sisters. We have some footage of Mrs. Bingley helping her family prepare the funeral for Mrs. Darcy. Unlike her sister, Mrs. Bingley's death was said to be of natural causes. The report shows that her heart was in too much stress and that Mrs. Bingley's health was decreasing since her sister's untimely death. This leaves only three out of the five Bennet sisters left. Elizabeth Darcy's murder has already been a hot topic in social media but with another death in the Bennet family, the country seems to be sympathetic to their losses. Many are wondering if this will be the last time the Bennet's will have to mourn. I am News Ten's Janine Clark, thank you for tuning in."

Caroline Bingley sneered at the screen before demanding her assistant to turn off the television. She complained about the volume and sat down to get her hair touched up.

**Orange County, California**

"It has been so nice to talk with you again, Doctor Monroe." Mary shook the older woman's hand.

"No, it has been a pleasure! I was so happy to hear that you were able to attend today's conference. I am deeply sorry to hear about your sisters. I hope your family will not have to deal with anymore tragedies."

"Thank you so much for your kind words. My family is having a hard time and I will be going back to England after the conference."

"Of course, I remember you told me your father and mother are still there." Doctor Monroe said while they walked around the convention. "I am amazed that your parents haven't locked you and your sisters up." Mary smiled a little.

"I don't think they need to. My mother has always had fragile nerves. She has some anxiety problems and the last few months have not been good to her. That is why I'm going back. My sister, Kitty, is already there. I will be there when she needs to come back for her work."

"I understand but you should take care of yourself as well." Doctor Monroe said with so much warmth. "At least take some time to reflect while you are here. Maybe LA will be a good place for you. There are so many people here that no one will bother you. You might like the isolation and you won't have to talk to anyone." Doctor Monroe had to leave to go to a presentation. So Mary was left to browse through the convention and to attend her own presentation. It was around three o'clock when Mary left the hotel and decided to get lost in Los Angeles like Doctor Monroe suggested.

Two Hours Later

Josh ran down the elevator staircase. Not bothering with the elevator and knowing Caroline's sister wouldn't attempt to follow him on the stairs since she was wearing heels.

When he arrived at his hotel yesterday, he didn't expect to see Louisa. It was his luck that Caroline told Louisa of his trip to California and asked her dear sister to watch out for him while he was there. It was more like to stalk him while he was there. Louisa reported everything he did to Caroline. It was a little unsettling to catch Louisa following him in a limo. Like that didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the bystanders.

Louis was not as talkative as Caroline but she was just as forceful. Adding to his luck was the fact that the hotel belonged to Louisa's fiancé. Josh never seen the man but was clear why Louisa was marrying him. The hotel was extravagant if nothing else. The lobby itself was decorated with gold accents and had a very aristocratic air.

Once the lobby looked Louisa free, Josh put on a quick pair of sunglasses and ran out before anyone could ask questions.

Josh walked for a while before seeing an old styled bookstore. It was intriguing and definitely caught his attention. Walking in, he put away his sunglasses and browsed through the shelves. The store seemed to be a mix of used and new copies of books. He even found a section all the way in the back that held much older copies of religious and cultural books.

Josh was about to pass it when he saw something move in his peripheral vision. He thought this would be the one section no one would enter so became interested to find someone actually in it. Most likely an old woman or man, Josh walked slowly to not startle the older customer. He took time to look at the titles of the books as he walked by the shelves. Seeing a book he recognized, Josh reached for it and tried to take it off the shelf but the book was stuck. Josh squatted down and pulled harder. The book came out, along with a hand. The hand was a little pale but smooth and had no wrinkles. Looking into the slit where the book came from, Josh saw a pair of deep brown eyes look back at him.

The eyes quickly disappeared and Josh heard someone walk away.

"Hello?" Josh called out and walked fast to reach the stranger. "I'm sorry for that, I didn't know someone else was reaching for the bo-ok" Josh's words faltered as he finally looked at the person that he struggled with to procure the book. She was not an old woman.

"It's alright. I already read it already." The girl said shyly.

"Mary?" Josh looked at her closer. Black hair was in a messy bun and her face didn't have any unnatural colors from lipstick or eye shadow.

"How-" Mary looked up and immediately stopped talking immediately.

"I'm sorry if I scared you earlier. W-"

"Josh!" Josh's head quickly moved to the side to see Louisa's heavily bejeweled form come his direction. "Whom were you talking to?" Josh turned to introduce Mary when he saw she was not there.

"No one." Josh put on his sunglasses and walked out the door.

"Don't lie to me Josh! Who was in there with you?" _And this is where the interrogation begins. _Josh thought while shaking his head. The rest of the way, Josh tried to ignore Louisa's constant questioning and hovering.

**LA, California**

"Charles is coming tomorrow." Darcy said as he looked at his wife's reflection in the mirror.

"Will Jane still be safe?"

"Yes, she will be in a private area and away from all of this." Elizabeth nodded and walked up to her husband so she could wrap her arms around him. As she looked at his face, she missed his deep blue eyes that had to be covered by green contacts. As she ran her hand up his neck, she missed being able to play with the dark curls that he had to buzz cut off and dye.

Darcy quickly turned and embraced her. He led her away from the mirror and sat her down the narrow bed. He kneeled before her and looked to see her look at the ring on her left hand. The ring was a simple 14kt thin band with a tiny stone in the middle. It was a practical ring. Not over glamorous and decorated.

It wasn't that Elizabeth missed the extravagance of her former ring but she missed that it used to be hers. The ring on her finger now belonged to a woman named Jenny Johnson not Elizabeth Darcy. It only made sense that the ring would be dumbed with the 'her' corpse so the police would have no way to question the corpse's authenticity.

Darcy saw the way Elizabeth looked at her ring.

"We're almost done. Richard has already found the accounts and we know the two major players. Now we need to know who put Aunt Catherine and Caroline together. We know they wouldn't come together on their own so we need to know who could. Nolan is the only one that can help us with that." Darcy tried to comfort Elizabeth.

**Bennet House, England**

"Is it done?"

"Yes." Kitty walked up to her father. "The papers and telly are announcing Jane's death. It is all going to Richard's plan." Mr. Bennet had not left his study since the day Jane 'died.' He knew he would not be able to take another announcement of his daughter dying.

"Let it be done. I shall pray that this is the last daughter I have to bury."

**Author's Note:**

**IMPORTANT: This chapter was harder for me to write than I thought. A huge part of me wants to be a realist and write how relationship/attractions actually are. I mean, most if not all relationships start aren't a "love at first sight" story. Relationships take time to develop than people start seeing the beauty of each other. The same could be said vice versa. The point is, I don't want to give support the whole notation of a girl giving herself value after she meets a guy or that your significant other has to be someone "successful" to be special. The only thing that matters is that he or she is special to you! They don't need to be perfect (our your definition of perfect). I just hate those movies where the "nerdy/geeky" girl catches the "popular" boy's attention and is given a makeover! At the same time, I do like those types of movies because it's nice to think that someday, someone that everyone values will see the value in you. Maybe it's that petty side of me that wants something that other's want. Anyway, I already wrote Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship as some kind of intense fairy tale so I think Mary should be given her own "Hollywood" ending. I really don't know if I made the right call in this one. ****Please tell me what you guys think about Josh Hart and Mary. **

**P.S. Sorry for my rant but I really needed some advice on how to shape these two and how I view romance stories in general.**


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